Bank of America downtown Amherst
In all likelihood the Planning Board will bring to Town Meeting this fall a zoning article allowing downtown businesses to lease out their parking lots as a sort of stand alone business using only a simple Site Plan Review process.
Now, without such a change, that would require a Special Permit, which needs a unanimous vote of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Currently Amherst downtown has more private spaces (57% of total) than public so a more efficient use of those surface parking lots can be a benefit to both private businesses and consumers.
BOA parking lot (right) Amity Street lot (top left)
But another concrete idea in the recently issued final draft of the Downtown Parking Report suggests either purchasing outright or entering a cooperative agreement with Bank of America. Their 47 space lot is located behind Amherst Cinema adjacent to the town's most popular Amity Street Lot.
BOA building stands out just a tad from surrounding architecture
Since town officials have never really forgiven Bank of America for the design of their building (constructed by Amherst Savings Bank in 1984) dead in the center of town. So universally panned, The Design Review Board was created in response to the building, to prevent a repeat occurrence.
So it would be kind of fitting for them to now come around and do the town -- and consumers -- a favor.
Click to enlarge/read
Downtown Parking Report (final draft) "Action Item."
Do the town a favor? That's funny.
ReplyDeleteJust trying to play the "good cop."
ReplyDeleteThe "bad cop" would of course threaten eminent domain.
That bank building was not Bank of America when it was built. It was another bank first. I know Shawmut Bank was there for awhile.
ReplyDeleteIf that lot becomes public, I'd predict even more wrong-way traffic on South Prospect St. It's already a serious problem on that road.
ReplyDeleteCan someone let me know when this paint dries? At least the Blarney Blowout had some nice pics of college girls....
ReplyDeleteOnly problem with your story is the bank was built by Amherst Savings Bank decades before it was Bank of America.
ReplyDeleteI remember when it was Heritage Bank and Fleet Bank. I think it was also BayBank.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, it has changed hands many times, but it has ALWAYS been ugly.
ReplyDeleteBank of America was founded in 1998. Two decades after it was built. Don't blame them.
ReplyDeletefor the consumer, free after hours parking in the BA lot is great. Hoping it doesn't get leased out to someone that will charge...I'm not sure how this move by the PB will help relieve parking (occasional) shortages. Am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteThey changed the nameplate on the front facade.
ReplyDeleteIf someone wanted to develop that piece of land, what could be built there?
ReplyDelete"A blot on the escutcheon"
ReplyDelete(with tip of lid to Vince Cleary) **
Funny how it took that long for the town to create a design review board. Amherst couldn't be more architecturally inconsistent than it does now. Visually it wins the award as worst looking town in Western Mass and the bank didn't do that alone.
ReplyDeleteOnly in Amherst. Remember some years ago when everyone was so excited for the new parking lot in the center of town. It was going to relieve an already stressed parking situation. Only in Amherst did they build a lot that was harder to park in, and offered nothing better than it was before they dug the hole. And what town creates an atmosphere where more than half of downtown parking is private. They want to make this a place to shop, where people come to visit? Laughable.
ReplyDeleteGreat that the town is looking at options to share existing parking spaces. It's a nice nod to our younger generation to show how we can live with what we have, instead of always building another thing. Let's cool off the planet.
ReplyDeleteSave the earth... what a maroon as Buggs would say. If you took the entire population of the planet and gave them a square foot to stand in the entire population of the planet would fit in the state of Texas with room left over. We are an anthill, but somehow think we are far more important and meaningful.
ReplyDelete10:09
ReplyDeleteHmmm...have you been to Hadley?
10:09 the difference between Hadley and Amherst is Hadley doesn't sell itself it's some amazing Mayberry RFD quaint looking town. Hadley likes commercial revenue. Amherst doesn't and has one of the worst small-town layouts going. Hadley is a strip mall and doesn't pretend to be anything else. Hadley is like a kid who bought ten Lego sets and haphazardly built a town from various parts of each set.
ReplyDeleteCool off the planet. What're you gonna do, shut down the sun? Oh! I see. The Government!
ReplyDelete